Lien
'''Lien' is a paladin, and one of the three known surviving members of The Sapphire Guard. Her holy paladin mount is the shark Razor. Biography Pier Pressure Lien was raised in Azure City, the daughter of fishermen. She lived with her family in a house directly adjacent to the Azure City docs, and helped her parents in their work from an early age.Comic #473. "On The Waterfront." As a teenager, she used to sneak out of the house and meet her friends at a stall selling fried fish.Comic #1032. "Other Times, Not So Much." She also had a casual romantic relationship with Daesuk. One day while talking with Daesuk on the dock they discovered the cave of a Sea Witch who had kidnapped Azurite children and transformed them into skitterlings. Daesuk fled but Lien confronted the witch, defeated her, and turned her in to the authorities. Yu, a member of the Sapphire Guard, observed her and gave her the ring of water breathing the witch had owned, knowing it was her heart's desire. This ring and notice by the Sapphire Guard led to her later becoming an underwater paladin.''Good Deeds Gone Unpunished'', "Pier Pressure", p.51-62 The circumstances in which she joined the Sapphire Guard are unknown, but she has already known O-Chul during her training. ''War and XPs'' Lien was present at Hinjo's inauguration and later assigned alongside O-Chul to transport Miko to her prison cell. Before the Battle of Azure City, she was placed in charge of the evacuation, partially because her paladin mount (a shark named Razor) would be useful in defending the docks. She protected Hinjo's junk from hordes of hobgoblins while Captain Axe refused to sail away without him. When Hinjo did arrive, he ordered the crew to wait for Haley and Belkar carrying Roy's body. More hordes of hobgoblins came led by Redcloak who summoned a fiendish octopus. Lien with Hinjo and Durkon held the monsters at bay long enough for Vaarsuvius to arrive, but in the end decided they could not wait for Haley and Belkar. ''Don't Split the Party'' Lien accompanied the Azure City fleet in exile, helping to protect the civilians against the various and improbably common random encounters. She accompanied Elan, Durkon and Daigo to Orc Island. When the Orcs saw Banjo, they immediately accepted the puppet as their deity, and attacked the explorers claiming Elan was not worthy of holding the god. The heroes managed to escape, but Lien was unwilling to flee ("because, you know, paladin") and was captured by the orc tribe. The members of the Order of the Stick decided to rescue her, except for Vaarsuvius whose first priority was finding Haley. The orcs planned to sacrifice Lien to Banjo, even though she was not a virgin. The Orcs said "banjo like girl with some experience", causing Lien to angrily wonder why her mother has been proved right again. She was saved by the intervention of Therkla who impersonated Banjo the god in order to save Elan. Therkla herself did not care about Lien being sacrificed, however, and it was only at Elan's urging that she (speaking as Banjo) demanded that Lien be released as well. Lien was the one to deduce that Therkla and the imp Qarr were working together and that they were responsible for the attacks that plagued the fleet. With the resurrection of Roy and the reunion of the Order of the Stick, Lien and O-Chul were sent by Hinjo to scout out Kraagor's Gate. They travelled riding on Razor. ''Blood Runs in the Family'' and Liens brief appearance in Blood Runs in the Family.|link=http://oots.wikia.com/wiki/File:OOTS0709.gif]]Lien was briefly shown on a tiny island in the sea, unable to sleep due to the rain, while O-Chul slept peacefully. ''Utterly Dwarfed'' Lien and O-Chul eventually arrived at Kraagor's Gate. Lien tricked the yrthak Lancer into using his sonic blast on thin ice, which shattered, submerging both paladins. She then shared her ring of water breathing with O-Chul in order to stay underwater long enough to trick Oona into thinking they were dead. Lien and O-Chul were staking out the entrance to Kraagor's Tomb, observing the movements of Team Evil. In the final strip of this book, she and O-Chul were struck by poison darts and were last seen unconscious, being taken away from their rocky ledge. Personality and Traits Lien is an optimist whose optimism is a result of pessimism: she always expects the worst and so is usually pleasantly surprised. She is not an uptight do-gooder like some paladins, having a good sense of humor and an appreciation for the comforts of home. She is, however, serious enough to be annoyed by Elan's antics. She's also quite smart (deducing Qarr's involvement in the attacks at the fleet from a few words) and very brave, repeatedly refusing to flee from battle and single-handedly defending a ship from a horde of hobgoblins. She enjoys a close and trusted friendship with O-Chul and is in a committed relationship with an unnamed boyfriend. Lien keeps her hair short to facilitate action under water. Powers and Abilities *'Underwater Paladin': Lien has all the normal paladin abilities, but is optimized for adventuring under water. She has a weapon focus in longspear and her paladin mount is a giant shark. She has lived her life in and around the water. *Lien is the second-most powerful remaining paladin, after O-Chul. She is higher level than Hinjo. Weapons and Equipment *'Longspear': Lien's primary weapon is a longspear, a weapon which is effective both above and below the surface of the water *'Ring of Waterbreathing': This ring allows her to breath under water, as well as protects her from the icy cold of the deeps *'Magic boots' *'Cloak and Armor': Lien wears the standard kit of the Sapphire Guard *'Crossbow': Lien utilizes this crossbow during her and O-Chuls battle with Oona. References Category:Characters Category:Humans Category:Living Characters Category:Lawful Good Characters Category:Lawful Characters Category:Good Characters Category:Females Category:Paladins Category:Sapphire Guard